Glastonbury hit by travel chaos

Fans can expect muddy conditions at Glastonbury
Fans can expect muddy conditions at Glastonbury (Image credit: Getty)

Music fans travelling to Glastonbury have been forced to endure traffic queues of up to 12 hours.

The event at Worthy Farm officially kicks off on Friday, but rain and poor ground conditions have caused huge delays for those trying to get to the site early.

Those travelling on A37 near to the festival have been held up for hours, while the BBC report that some of those who’ve made it through to the site have been stuck in mud, with tractors used to help pull vehicles clear.

Police are advising festival-goers to avoid the A37 and use the A36 and M5 at junction 23 instead, and have asked those who have yet to set off to wait until later before making the journey.

Police say: “The current wet weather and ground conditions are still causing heavy traffic congestion around the Glastonbury Festival site – but we’re pleased to report that the picture is improving.

“Our advice for those yet to set off by car or camper van is still to remain where you are for the time being. If you have set off and have yet to reach the site, there is no need to rush.

“Take your time and stop off. The longer you leave it, the less you will have to queue. Remember, the festival’s entertainment does not begin until Friday. Gates are open but there is plenty of capacity in the camping areas.”

Keep up to date via the Glastonbury Police’s Twitter account.

Festival bosses have this afternoon posted an update on Twitter, saying that things are getting back to normal.

Yesterday, a man who suffered severe burns at the festival died as a result of his injuries. He’s not been named and police are treating the death as unexplained but don’t believe it to be suspicious.

Earlier this month, bad weather caused travel chaos at the Download festival. Organisers were forced to provide extra entrances at parking zones to ease congestion.

This year’s Glastonbury features headliners Muse, along with artists including ZZ Top, Tame Impala, Jeff Lynne’s ELO, Bring Me The Horizon, Gary Clark Jr, John Lees’ Barclay James Harvest, Blackberry Smoke and Joanne Shaw Taylor.

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Scott Munro
Louder e-commerce editor

Scott has spent 35 years in newspapers, magazines and online as an editor, production editor, sub-editor, designer, writer and reviewer. Scott joined our news desk in the summer of 2014 before moving into e-commerce in 2020. Scott keeps Louder’s buyer’s guides up to date, writes about the best deals for music fans, keeps on top of the latest tech releases and reviews headphones, speakers, earplugs and more for Louder. Over the last 10 years, Scott has written more than 11,000 articles across Louder, Classic Rock, Metal Hammer and Prog. He's previously written for publications including IGN, Sunday Mirror, Daily Record and The Herald, covering everything from daily news and weekly features, to tech reviews, video games, travel and whisky. Scott's favourite bands are Fields Of The Nephilim, The Cure, New Model Army, All About Eve, The Mission, Cocteau Twins, Drab Majesty, The Tragically Hip, Marillion and Rush.